Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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26. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to ensure that the implementation of the proposed amendment to the Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2017, which seeks to impose penalties on the owners of vehicles operated by unaccompanied learner drivers, does not cause driver test waiting times to worsen, in view of the fact that driver test waiting times are lengthy in most parts of the State and there has been a significant drop in the number of driver testers; if the wait times for both the scheduling of tests and the time spent waiting for tests have reduced in the past quarter; his further plans to assist the Road Safety Authority, RSA, in reducing the waiting times for driver tests, including agreeing to the formation of a panel of driver testers; the assistance he has given to the RSA regarding the establishment of additional driver test centres and increased recruitment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18031/18]

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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There is a chronic shortage of driver testers throughout the State and waiting times for driver tests in test centres throughout the State has spiralled out of control, with a waiting time of up to seven months in many cases. What assistance has the Minister given to the RSA regarding the establishment of additional driver test centres and increased recruitment? Will he make a statement on this matter?

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I thank Deputy Munster for this question, which I must say is a fair question. It is one we have to address. The Deputy is identifying a potential problem, which we are addressing in fact, but she is right to bring it up here.

The Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill 2017, currently progressing through the Houses of the Oireachtas, will introduce amendments regarding sanctions for owners of mechanically propelled vehicles who allow learner drivers to drive the vehicle unaccompanied. There are nearly 250,000 learner permit holders in Ireland, many of whom are on their second or subsequent learner permit. The Road Safety Authority envisages that the legislation will bring about an increase of between 53,000 to 119,000 driving test applications within the first 12 to 18 months of its introduction.

Over the past four years, driver test applications have increased by almost 20%. This has meant that the waiting times for customers for driver tests have increased. The current national average waiting time for a driver test is 13 weeks. The objective of the RSA is to have a national average waiting time of no longer than ten weeks.

The RSA currently employs 103.44 full-time equivalent driver testers. My Department has sanctioned an additional 28 driver testers since October 2016, and 23 are now conducting driver tests. The remaining five testers will be in place shortly. The RSA recently ran a recruitment campaign for driver testers and will have a panel of 100 candidates in place.

The RSA has forwarded a driver test demand scenario planning submission to my Department, which seeks approval to appoint, on temporary contracts, 67 additional driver testers and 17 support staff on a phased basis for a period of 12 to 18 months to manage the possible surge in driver test applications. My officials are considering this proposal at present, and it is my intention to have any necessary supports in place to handle an increase in driver test applications.

The RSA is also undertaking initiatives to increase capacity to deliver extra driver tests. These initiatives include the delivery of 120 extra overtime tests per driver tester who participates. Other measures include initiatives to reduce the number of applicant no-shows at the driver test, and systems to reduce the number of no-shows and non-conducted driver tests. The authority plans to introduce a new test booking system that will give test applicants much more control over their booking and appointment choice.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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As the Minister has said, ten weeks is the desired waiting time. As I stated earlier, recent figures have shown waiting times of up to 28 weeks. It is seven months in Tralee, Cavan is next at 25 weeks and Cork and Monaghan are at 24 weeks. Given the forthcoming legislation, as the Minister mentioned, on unaccompanied learner drivers, this is totally unacceptable. The issue of rural areas where public transport is not reliable has been raised previously. Somebody who needs a car for work cannot be left to wait upwards of seven months for a driver test. The Minister said there are 28 new driver testers from a panel of 100. This is far short. What priority has the Minister put on this and when can we expect to see improvements in this area?

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The Deputy and I are on the same side. I think she was in favour of the amendment to the Road Traffic Act that actually tackled the issue of unaccompanied drivers. I think she was in favour of that, as am I. This is certainly one of the unintended consequences but we accept that it is better than having unaccompanied drivers on the road. We are taking the appropriate measures, as the Deputy can see.

I have set out the initiatives that I hope are a very proactive effort to bring the numbers down. I understand why the Deputy does it but I think it is probably a bit unhelpful for her to always point out the worst cases. The average is 13. Yes, there are some areas where it is longer than 13 weeks but there are other areas where it is shorter than 13 weeks, which the Deputy did not point out. This is why the average comes to 13. It is something we are addressing aggressively. As the Deputy will understand, the number of no-shows is large. These are people who do not turn up for their driving test because their applications count in a way that is advantageous to them.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Road safety is one issue. The Minister is right; I am fully supportive of his legislation. The buck stops with the Minister regarding tackling delays in waiting times at driving test centres and the chronic shortage of driver testers. Given that he has been forthcoming with the legislation, he should have pre-empted the increase that was obviously going to occur in respect of the number of people clamouring to take tests. There is also a shortage of driving test centres. There is no driving test centre in Drogheda, which is the largest town in Ireland, and there is a waiting list of over 2,500 there. This figure has quadrupled. In other areas, the increase is even larger. What is the Minister doing about the backlog and about instructing the RSA regarding the establishment of more test centres to deal with the backlog?

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I think I addressed that.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Test centres.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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An extra 120 overtime tests per driver tester who participates have been delivered. To date, 6,600 extra tests were delivered in the six months to the end of March 2018. There has been a reduction in the number of applicant no-shows at driving tests. The RSA contacts applicants it identifies, from previous behaviour, as being likely to not show. In other words, people who have not shown up before are telephoned by the RSA and asked if they are going to show up. If they say they are not going to show up, which happens in a lot of cases, the RSA can fill these places with people who have an urgent need for a test for work or other reasons. In cases where an applicant states that it is his or her intention not to attend, the RSA, with the prior agreement of the applicant, cancels the appointment and offers it to another applicant who has indicated a need for an urgent driving test. Measures taken have reduced the number of no-shows by almost half in recent months. There has been a reduction in the number of non-conducted driving tests. Currently, 4% of driving tests do not proceed on the day because of various faults or issues with either the vehicle presented or the necessary documentation. This is despite applicants being fully informed in advance of all requirements. The RSA communicates with test applicants via text messaging and applicants' approved driving instructors and provides some key messages about the requirements closer to test appointment dates in an effort to reduce non-conducted driving tests.